


Shopping Center

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 10:46:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17099144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Carol and Therese take Rindy out to go see Santa.





	Shopping Center

“This is ridiculous,” Carol growled, searching for an empty parking space at the shopping center downtown. “Has the entire state of New Jersey decided to go out and do some shopping today?”

“Looks like it,” Therese answered, staring through her car window on the passenger side, watching groups of people leave the mall to make their way back to their vehicles with packaged, boxed gifts and large, heavy shopping bags dangling through their arms.

“Did Santa come here on his sled?” Rindy asked from the backseat.

“He sure did,” Therese smiled. “What do you want him to get you for Christmas?”

“A bike bell,” Rindy said. “And a magnet glass!”

“A _magnifying_ glass, you mean?” Therese corrected her, smirking over towards Carol, who was silent the whole time as she witnessed a Ford backing out with a bundle of firelogs tied to the rear end with strands of twine. Carol drove the Packard slowly to the available spot just in time to fill in its place. 

There were more people inside the shopping center than there were outside the lot. Rindy recognized Santa’s red hat at the center of the mall, seated high on his throne, asking children what they wanted for Christmas.

“I see Santa,” Carol spoke softly. She hoisted her daughter to one side of the hip; gloved-fingers entwined below her bottom. 

“There’s a big line to go see him,” Therese observed.

“So let’s go check out a few stores, then come back around here later?” Carol suggested.

Rindy didn’t object to the idea, so both her mothers had only assumed that it was okay from the four-year-old. They moved their legs and feet through the noisy, crowded shopping mall, leaving Santa behind at his red-gold encrusted throne waiting for the next kid in line coming towards him to sit on his knee and announce that he wanted a new baseball catcher’s glove mitt.

After four or five walk-ins from different places in the mall, Carol and Therese brought Rindy back over to see Santa. They stood in line and were able to watch her walk up to him in her buckle shoes. 

Rindy sat down on Santa’s knee and took in his rimless glasses, rosy cheeks, red hat, and white beard. 

“What would you like for Christmas, little girl?” he asked her.

“A bell for my bike, and a magnet glass,” Rindy told him. 

“A magnet glass...?” Santa peered over to see both Carol and Therese mime out each of them holding up a magnifying glass close to their faces. Santa chuckled with joy and knew what Rindy meant.

“You want a magnifying glass?” he bopped his head.

“Uh huh,” Rindy said.

“Ho ho,” Santa went, and then patted the top of her head. “I’ll be sure to let my elves know back at the North Pole!”

That’s when Rindy got up to go share the good, exciting news with her two mothers.


End file.
